Hut Trip: Polar Star Inn

Polar Star Inn is one of 16 10th Mountain Division Huts, located about 14 miles southeast of Eagle and 14 miles southwest of Vail.

On Saturday, 16 of us climbed the 6 mile, 2000 foot trail to the hut, located just above 11,000 ft above sea level. Sunday was more of a down day - the skiers caught some turns above Polar Star Mine, and many snowshoers explored New York Mountain 1000 feet above the hut.

As always, the food was excellent (and plentiful), the company terrific, and the entertainment quite amusing!

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Jay and Roy at the trailhead

 

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2-27-2010 9:14 am

 

 

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2-27-2010 9:14 am

 

Lisa tries to separate her skins

 

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2-27-2010 9:20 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

Skis on

 

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2-27-2010 9:20 am

 

Departing the trailhead

 

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2-27-2010 9:26 am

Photo by Roy Donehower

 

The group heads off

 

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2-27-2010 9:31 am

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Tory

 

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2-27-2010 9:31 am

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Brian, Ryan, and Ling

 

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2-27-2010 9:32 am

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Jay along the trail

 

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2-27-2010 10:30 am

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Roy and Brian guard the trail

 

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2-27-2010 10:44 am

 

Rurik, looking splendid

 

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2-27-2010 10:50 am

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

Steve

 

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2-27-2010 10:50 am

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

Kathy and Rurik

 

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2-27-2010 10:51 am

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

Lisa

 

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2-27-2010 11:07 am

 

Shaun takes a break

 

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2-27-2010 11:23 am

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Brian and Lisa

 

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2-27-2010 12:09 pm

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

 

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2-27-2010 12:23 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

A fox along the side of the trail

 

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2-27-2010 12:29 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

 

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2-27-2010 12:29 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Steve skins up

 

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2-27-2010 12:29 pm

 

Rurik, Kathy, and Lisa

 

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2-27-2010 12:30 pm

 

Polar Star Inn

 

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2-27-2010 2:43 pm

 

Rurik recovers

 

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2-27-2010 3:44 pm

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

 

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2-27-2010 3:50 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Shari catches up on some reading

 

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2-27-2010 3:50 pm

 

Lonny and his camera

 

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2-27-2010 4:08 pm

 

...taking a picture of Brian and his camera

 

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2-27-2010 4:08 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

How many engineers does it take to light a pilot light?

 

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2-27-2010 4:08 pm

 

Lisa

 

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2-27-2010 4:12 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Ryan

 

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2-27-2010 4:40 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Chicken Surprise!

 

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2-27-2010 5:34 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

 

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2-27-2010 6:21 pm

Photo by Steve Packard

 

 

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2-27-2010 6:21 pm

Photo by Steve Packard

 

Relaxing after dinner

 

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2-27-2010 6:44 pm

 

Yahtzee!

 

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2-27-2010 8:03 pm

 

 

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2-27-2010 8:06 pm

 

Making breakfast

 

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2-28-2010 8:49 am

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

 

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2-28-2010 9:05 am

 

Tory and Steve prepare breakfast

 

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2-28-2010 9:05 am

 

mmmmm....breakfast

 

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2-28-2010 9:07 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

Roy, Kathleen, and Brian

 

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2-28-2010 9:16 am

 

Rurik and Jay examine the 10th Mountain Division hut system

 

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2-28-2010 9:16 am

 

Elvis Cribbage

 

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2-28-2010 11:10 am

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Relaxing after breakfast

 

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2-28-2010 11:10 am

Photo by Jay Endres

 

 

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2-28-2010 11:26 am

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Brian

 

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2-28-2010 11:45 am

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

Ling and Ryan

 

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2-28-2010 11:46 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

Shaun on New York Mountain

 

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2-28-2010 12:35 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Kathleen and Forrest

 

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2-28-2010 12:46 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Jay and Shaun on New York Mountain

 

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2-28-2010 12:47 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Roy and Shaun consult a map

 

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2-28-2010 12:50 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Lonny

 

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2-28-2010 12:53 pm

Photo by Shari Post

 

[PAUSE THE SLIDESHOW BELOW TO WATCH THE ENTIRE VIDEO]

Steve drops in with some tele turns

 

2-28-2010 12:53 pm

 

Steve

 

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2-28-2010 12:54 pm

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

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Brian takes his turn down the mine tailings pile

 

2-28-2010 12:54 pm

 

Brian grabs some turns on Polar Star Mine

 

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2-28-2010 12:54 pm

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

 

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2-28-2010 1:58 pm

Photo by Steve Packard

 

 

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2-28-2010 2:49 pm

Photo by Steve Packard

 

An old cabin

 

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2-28-2010 1:22 pm

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

The view from the Polar Star Mine

 

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2-28-2010 1:42 pm

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

 

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2-28-2010 1:44 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

 

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2-28-2010 1:58 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Roy and Brian catch a breath of fresh air on the porch

 

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2-28-2010 2:17 pm

 

Polar Star Inn

 

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2-28-2010 2:17 pm

 

Rurik and Kathy

 

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2-28-2010 2:20 pm

 

Lonny sets up a great MacGyver snow tripod

 

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2-28-2010 2:25 pm

Photo by Shari Post

 

...to get this photo

Ling, Ryan, Shari, and Lonny on New York Mountain

 

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2-28-2010 2:26 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Shaun attempts to match the pose of the SI swimsuit poster girl...

 

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2-28-2010 2:39 pm

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

New York Mountain

 

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2-28-2010 2:42 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Shari, Ling, and Ryan on New York Mountain

 

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2-28-2010 2:42 pm

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Lisa eats lunch

 

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2-28-2010 2:47 pm

 

Kathy playing angry cards

 

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2-28-2010 2:47 pm

 

A little hut euchre

 

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2-28-2010 3:37 pm

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

Shaun filtering out pine needles through a coffee filter (for our dinner water)

 

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2-28-2010 4:45 pm

 

Tory and Steve after their Sunday outing

 

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2-28-2010 4:46 pm

 

Rurik vs. Bread Loaf

 

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2-28-2010 4:52 pm

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

Lonny and Shari performing some form of surgery

 

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2-28-2010 4:52 pm

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

Steve and Brian

 

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2-28-2010 4:53 pm

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

The gear drying

 

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2-28-2010 5:26 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Lounging around the fire

 

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2-28-2010 5:26 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Lonny shares his light reading

The previous hut occupants left a SI Swimsuit issue and Cosmo for us to read...it provided much entertainment

 

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2-28-2010 5:27 pm

Photo by Jay Endres

 

 

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2-28-2010 6:58 pm

Photo by Steve Packard

 

Scrabble after dinner

 

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2-28-2010 8:04 pm

 

Tory makes dessert

 

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2-28-2010 8:11 pm

 

 

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2-28-2010 9:16 pm

Photo by Steve Packard

 

 

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3-1-2010 8:42 am

 

 

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3-1-2010 8:42 am

 

Brian sets up the group photo

 

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3-1-2010 8:51 am

Photo by Jay Endres

 

The Polar Star Inn group

Clockwise from left: Shaun, Jay, Lonny, Brian, Steve, Tory, Forrest, Ryan, Rurik, Kathy, Lisa, Shari, Roy, Ling, Brian, Kathleen

 

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3-1-2010 8:52 am

 

A last look at the hut

 

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3-1-2010 8:58 am

Photo by Jay Endres

 

Brian and Lisa

 

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3-1-2010 9:01 am

 

Steve saddles up for the ski out

 

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3-1-2010 9:04 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

The departure party

 

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3-1-2010 9:05 am

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Brian

 

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3-1-2010 9:13 am

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

 

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3-1-2010 9:13 am

 

Lisa

 

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3-1-2010 9:14 am

 

Steve drops into a meadow

 

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3-1-2010 9:16 am

 

Lisa

 

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3-1-2010 9:17 am

 

Lisa

 

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3-1-2010 9:17 am

 

Hiking out

 

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3-1-2010 9:22 am

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

 

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3-1-2010 9:22 am

 

 

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3-1-2010 9:28 am

 

 

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3-1-2010 9:34 am

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

 

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3-1-2010 9:36 am

 

Steve, Brian, and Lisa skin up

 

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3-1-2010 9:56 am

Photo by Shari Post

 

 

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3-1-2010 10:10 am

 

Lisa

 

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3-1-2010 10:10 am

 

Jay and Shaun

 

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3-1-2010 10:11 am

 

Brian and Kathleen

 

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3-1-2010 10:21 am

 

Ryan and Ling

 

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3-1-2010 10:27 am

 

Tory and Forrest

 

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3-1-2010 10:28 am

 

Brian skis by...

 

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3-1-2010 10:39 am

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Lisa skis by...

 

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3-1-2010 10:39 am

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

...and Steve skis by

 

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3-1-2010 10:40 am

Photo by Lonny Jacobson

 

Descending down to Yeoman Park trailhead

 

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3-1-2010 10:46 am

 

Lisa and Brian

 

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3-1-2010 10:54 am

 

Lonny

 

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3-1-2010 11:21 am

Photo by Lisa Davis

 

Shari reaches the trailhead

 

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3-1-2010 11:27 am

 

Shaun and Jay

 

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3-1-2010 11:30 am

 

A full car...

 

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3-1-2010 11:31 am

 

Tory and Forrest

 

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3-1-2010 11:32 am

 

Kathy and Rurik

 

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3-1-2010 11:46 am

Photo by Kathy Lubinski

 

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